South Yuba River State Park — Attraction in Grass Valley

I LOVE this little gem! We went to buttermilk bend trail and it did NOT disappoint. We went because there were good reviews of wildflowers. What that means is there were wildflowers along every bend of the hike. It's NOT fields and fields of poppies and lupine, but it IS an educational experience. They label wildflowers along the trail with little name cards, so keep your eyes peeled. They also have a tree/shrub self guide that you pick up for free outside of the visitor center. The trees and shrubs are marked with wooden 2ft posts and stenciled/spray painted white numbers.

Start off by parking in the visitor parking lot. $5 to park, credit card accepted. Go visit vistor center for gold flakes, bird books, and other brochures. Can also see cool taxidermied animals like a bear and a ring necked pheasant. There is also a mountain lion skin. Then walk through the footbridge that was recently modeled (free, no charge. There is a historic "toll" sign in front of the bridge). Go across the main road and into the parking lot. Bear left until you see the trail entrance for buttermilk bend. The entrance is between two handicap parking signs. The trail is ADA accessible for the first 0.7 mi.

The hike is out and back and 1.7 mi one way. Can stop to go down to the river as well. Be sure to not crush any of the precious wildflowers!

Every sat/sun at 10am They host wildflower walks too.

Bathrooms open in parking lots and at visitor center. Keep your dogs on a leash if they tend to trample on flowers or chase birds.

Once again, this hike is more educational and less about picture perfect opportunities in giant fields of...

I have been playing in the yuba for most of my life..fought my share of fish, found great Gold at times..enjoyed the summers and winters alike.. Summer afternoons when the sun is just right I imagine Heaven to be as the beauty I've witnessed..as well as the torrent rage that tears up the canyon durring the winter/spring runoff..could be what hell is like I suppose.. All visitors should know.. If you pack it in, Pack it OUT! Always bring the proper provisions to the river....food, drinks(other than alcohol) a flash light is good and yes a first aid kit of some kind should be included. The emerald pools,chattering falls among the rocks and meandering trails can be intriguing and extremely peaceful to enjoy but be advised there are still dangers..waters are very cold until mid summer..natures creatures are abundant among the rocks and though the crystal clear pools are beautiful, but dont ever dive in head first.as the yuba she is tricky. Many I have witnessed venture out with improper gear and under prepared..and lots of folks over time have learned of its challenges sadly. Most importantly always pack out what items you have brought in..mabe bring an extra trash bag and pick up what trash you find as that will keep my back yard and play ground clean and assure that the winter watershed dosent wash the trash down the hill to your town..just shareing an observation, as the reason for everyone's visit is to enjoy nature's purity and the Yubas pristine beauty. .let's enjoy the river and keep it clean together..be...

Great place to take your kids for a fun day of swimming. Parking is there, but limited on close parking. You have to pay like $5-10/day for parking. But if you have to park in the upper lot with kids and you have all your swim toys, towels, coolers and such it's not easy carrying it all that far. Then you have little kids to watch while crossing a windy road with cars zooming past with no crosswalk or sidewalk. Walking back is even more difficult cause it's a steep incline. The parking lots were full once and I had to drop my kids off at the entrance, luckily I had my 19 year old with me. I had to park more than a mile away, but for free, but then run there and run back when we left. So it's a little too busy and parking sucks, especially with little kids and lots of stuff to carry. But once settled in we have a blast!! Can be some shady people there at times. And people who don't watch their naughty children well enough, especially since they are little and around water. No dogs, but some people bring them. I don't care if they do as long as they clean...